Spirit Reaper
by DaemonicKitten
Summary: Originally meants as a two-shot. An ElizabethxJohn story about John getting possessed and Elizabeth finding it difficult to fight. Not sure how it turned out.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : I don't own anything. If I did, lots of shirtless John, Evan, Ronon on Atlantis, and it WOULD NOT END AT 5 SEASONS!

**Summary** : Originally meant as a two-shot, but expanded. My first multi-chapter SGA fic (other than my one-shots series'). John gets possessed, and Elizabeth's noticing a difference. JohnxElizabeth pairing.

**Note** : Yeah, I'm just going to post this and you can tell me if you absolutely hate it or not. :P

Ok, the muse for this is taken from Twilight the book, with Edward's 'charms' and Bella's 'reactions'. Even a few of the lines belong to either Edward or one of the Twilight Characters.

**Legend**

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

**Flashback/Vision/Dream**

**(Scene/POV Changes)**

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**(John's POV)**

I don't know what it was, but ever since our last mission, I've found I've been having a hard time sleeping. It didn't make any sense, and I didn't even try to pretend to understand it. I'd do my usual routine of showering, changing and heading to bed, and had no trouble dozing off, but more often than not, I'd find myself awakened and I never understood why.

This is the third night and my eyes felt like lead as I slowly sat up and looked around in confusion. I never understood what it was that kept waking me up. "'Hello?" I muttered to myself in irritation when I got no answer, and rubbed at my eyes. Blinking a little, I slowly got up and walked over to the light switch, turning on the lights. "Huh, nothing." No one was there, as usual. "This is getting really annoying."

I hesitated by the lights, not sure if I wanted to go back to bed and try to get more sleep, though somehow I knew it wouldn't work, or if I wanted to go to the infirmary. I had my hand raised, and all I had to do was swipe it over the control to turn off the lights, but I frowned and sighed noisily before turning and slipping on my socks and shoes, making my way out of the room and to the infirmary.

As I walked down the hall, I noticed how quiet it was, and frowned, wondering where the night watch was. Sure, there were only a skeleton crew on during the nights, but as I walked down the halls and took the transporters to the infirmary, I still couldn't help feel like something was wrong when I didn't even pass _one_ person. I made my way past the jumper bay, but suddenly froze. Frowning, I turned my head to the open door and hesitated. _What…?_ I didn't know what it was, but I had a sudden urge to go in. I knew there was nothing really in there, other than the jumpers, including the one we took on our last mission.

For a brief moment, my mind flashed back to a strange sarcophagus we found in some ancient stone ruins on our mission, a few days ago. Had the team had time to unload it? Rodney would have insisted, despite how late it was. If it was too late, though, and no one thought of it…

"Maybe I should…" Walking inside, I went straight to the jumper and stepped into the back. That's when I noticed two things. First, there were two bodies on the ground. I recognized them as two of the night watch. Second, there was a third person in the jumper, another marine of the night watch, and she was standing next to the glowing sarcophagus. I froze.

Not something I usually do.

Smiling at me, she carefully stepped over the bodies and approached me. Stepping up to me, she reached out, and her eyes glowed. "Thank you for finally coming." Her words were so quiet, and yet I heard them so clearly. As I studied her face, I couldn't help but notice just how beautiful she was. Her eyes were such a light green, they almost seemed to glow, and her skin was tanned and smooth.

I couldn't help but reach out to touch her face, part of me wondering if she was even real. My hand skimmed over her cheek, and to her hair before running through the length of it as I admired the chocolate silk.

"Finally. I've been waiting for four days. Five days is all I have." She breathed out a sigh and leaned her face into my touch, closing her eyes and finishing the journey with her hand, to touch my face. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come." That's when I realized how cold she was. As she touched my face, I watched her smile and lean in against me. "Hold me…?"

Part of my mind was screaming no. There was something seriously wrong here, and I knew it, yet I couldn't help but give her what she wanted. I felt powerless to resist her amazing beauty and soft voice. Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I closed my eyes and relaxed. That's when the painful jolt ran through me. My eyes shot open and I felt my mouth open to scream, but nothing came out. The pain intensified quickly before fading, and everything turned black.

**(The Next Morning, Normal POV)**

"What caused this?" Elizabeth was looking over two reports in front of her, and frowned. "Three bodies, you're sure?" She shook her head. "But the CCTV wasn't working, and you didn't see anything?" She looked to a marine standing in front of her, three members of Sheppard's team behind him, as she'd called them upon hearing they had murders. Looking past the marine, she frowned for a moment. _Where's John?_

The marine nodded. "Yes ma'am. We're not entirely sure what happened, Dr. Beckett's examining the bodies now. It looks like they were drained of their life, though, kind of like what happens with the Wraith." He shuddered.

Elizabeth's eyes widened in horror and her face spun to Teyla's. "Do you sense anything?"

Teyla shook her head. "I do not."

With a relieved nod, Elizabeth dismissed the marine and turned to the reports, seemingly looking over them a moment. It was only a minute later that John came jogging into the room, out of breath.

"Sorry, I was on the other side of Atlantis." He shrugged apologetically, gesturing to his jogging pants and t-shirt. He was a little sweaty, but he'd never looked better, and Elizabeth found herself blushing at the thought.

"At this time of the morning?" Elizabeth frowned at him before shaking her head. "Never mind. We have a problem, it looks like there were three murders last night." She noted how John's expression turned distant a moment before he frowned. She hesitated, staring into his green eyes, finding herself losing track of what she was saying as she got lost in them. Then she shook her head and focused. "We're not sure what happened, but it looks like they were…." She shrugged. "Drained of life, left as lifeless mummies." She gestured to her report. "All three of them were marines, members of the night watch, and their bodies were found in the back of the jumper you guys used a few days ago."

Rodney suddenly sat up straight, his eyes wide. "Wait, was there any damage to the sarcophagus?" He noticed Elizabeth's confused frown and sighed in exasperation. "We brought back a strange sarcophagus from the planet, and it was too late to get anyone to drag it to the lab, so we left it in the jumper for the night." He raised his hand. "Not that I didn't _try_ to get it moved." He frowned for a moment. "Did anyone ever go back to move it??"

"Rodney…" Elizabeth seemed to scan the reports again. "There was nothing unusual in the back of the jumper, and no mentions of a sarcophagus." Her eyes flashed to John, who looked more confused than she felt he should have, given the situation. He also looked pale and tired and she made a mental note to talk with him as soon as she had a moment. "Also, it looks like the CCTV might have been tampered with. There were no feeds last night. Rodney, do you think you can take a look and see if you can get something?"

He nodded and grabbed his computer tablet, beginning to type furiously.

"Alright, you're dismissed, but I want everyone to stay on guard. Oh, and John? Can I have a word with you, please?" She watched as annoyance seemed to flicker across his face for a moment before disappearing and he nodded as the others left. For a moment, she was a little hurt. She was worried about him, and he was annoyed with her? _Is he ok?_ "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just a little tired." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"You were out running, at this time in the morning?" It _was_ pretty early. "Did you have more trouble sleeping last night?"

"I had a little trouble earlier in the night, but later I just slept right through. I just woke up early, that's all." He stared hard at her, his eyes clearly telling her he didn't want to talk.

Focusing on him, Elizabeth felt her breath catch in her throat. It was strangely almost like his eyes were glowing. She knew better, of course, but she never really noticed all the colors that seemed to shimmer within them. "Um…" She was confused. She'd never been so flustered with John. She usually felt comfortable around him, this was very strange. "Maybe you should see Carson. You're a little pale." _Or maybe I should be the one to go see him. This isn't right._

His eyes narrowed and he frowned. "I'm fine, really."

Fighting back a shiver at his tone, she watched as his eyes lightened and he threw a smirk her way, making her blush. She'd never really noticed how his crooked smirk could make him seem younger and more handsome. "John."

His eyes narrowed even more. "Elizabeth…" She shivered at his tone as he said her name. "I'm really ok. I probably just need a little more sleep, that's all."

Nodding hesitantly, Elizabeth reluctantly allowed herself to accept that. "Alright. Dismissed…?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but it was quite unnerving, the reactions she felt around him. Watching as he nodded, grinned at her and left, she put her head in her hands and took several deep breaths, only now noticing how fast her heart was pumping. _What was _that_?!_

When she'd gotten her heart rate and blushing under control, she turned her attention to the reports and frowned. They included pictures of the bodies, and each one did indeed remind her of a dried up mummy. As she looked, she noticed they were fallen around a wide area. Almost as if there _was_ something in the middle of that jumper, at one time.

With a frown, she called for Major Evan Lorne. It didn't take him long to get to her room, telling her he must have been close by.

"Major, come here." She beckoned him over. Showing him the full image of the back of the jumper with the three bodies, she frowned. "Is it me, or does it look like something belongs there?"

He frowned at the image. "Huh, it does, doesn't it?"

With a nod, she put down the papers and recalled what Rodney had said. "When Sheppard's team returned from their last mission, they brought with them a strange alien sarcophagus, right?" And no one had thought to move it in the days after?

Evan nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I saw it. It wasn't very impressive." He shrugged. "But then, that's probably why I'm a marine and Dr. McKay's the scientist."

Elizabeth couldn't help her grin as she nodded. "True." Sobering up, she sighed, her mind flashing back to the odd behaviour of John. "I'd like you to arrange search teams and see if you can't find this sarcophagus."

"Shouldn't Colonel Sheppard do that, ma'am?"

She shook her head. "Colonel Sheppard's…." _Hot, gorgeous, unbelievably sexy, a god…_ Forcing her mind to stop helpfully supplying images and words, she frowned. "Not well. I don't see any reason you can't do it." She turned to him. "And maybe you can put something in the network. A description of the sarcophagus?"

"Do we mention the murders?"

She shook her head again. "No, I think it'll only cause unnecessary risk." She stood up slowly, grabbing the reports before turning to him. "You have your orders." _Though they were more requests._ "Dismissed."

With a nod and salute, Evan headed out, grabbing a couple of marines as he went.

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These chapter lengths may vary, depending on the length of the **POV**s, but I'm trying to make this into a multi-chapter fic, and if it works... Well, it works. This was originally meant as a two-chapter update for my other fiction, 'John's Really Bad Days'.

Hope you like it.

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	2. Chapter 2

**NotAllWhoWanderAreAimless** - LMAO!! I actually started laughing at that. Actually, it's a spin off of a line from the book, Twilight, when Bella is thinking about the man she loves (who happens to be a vampire), and it worked perfectly. LOL, Admittedly, though, you could say it's both Elizabeth _and_ me. I doubt there are a lot of people out there who'd disagree. :P Don't worry about it, that was actually a very good question, and I'm surprised it wasn't asked sooner. LOL!

**Rinoax** - Oh, I have the story finished. If people like it, I'll post it all. :) I'm glad you enjoy it.

**Sparklyshimmer2010** - Oh, she'll be doing a lot of flustering, so… Not much of a beginning, I'm betting, so hopefully this second chapter will liven things up a little.

**Jasminesmommy** - It's John. Isn't that reason enough? Alien women _love_ John, which is why he's known as Atlantis' 'Kirk'. LOL

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**(Control Room, the Next Day)**

Standing behind Radek, Elizabeth watched as he recalibrated the sensors to see if he could locate that missing sarcophagus. Rodney had been on her ass about it, since the report of the three deaths came in, and though she didn't want to admit it to herself, she knew she was hiding out here.

Not from Rodney, though.

"Hm, I don't seem to be picking anything up." Radek frowned at the screen before tapping a finger against a schematic of Atlantis. "There are too many places to hide it, and it doesn't seem to be giving off any energy readings we can trace." He snapped his fingers for a moment as some text scrolled up the side of the screen.

Elizabeth kept her eyes on the schematic. Even after a couple of years here, it still served to surprise her, just how big this city was. It seemed a lot smaller, sometimes. "There's no way to find it? If we have to send out marines searching, I'm afraid it'll take weeks to find it that way." _Not to mention, we risk loosing more people._ She frowned as Radek's eyes seemed glued to the text. "Radek?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah..." He typed something and the schematic disappeared, only to be replaced by several CCTV cameras in different areas of the city. "I was running scans for anomalies in the system, and it came back that several of the CCTV cameras went offline for a brief period of time." He began typing quickly. "I'm running a scan now to find out if they were tampered with, but I believe they may be like the one in the jumper bay."

"How does that help us?"

"It might not." He reluctantly admitted before turning to face me. "But if I'm right, the scan should show that the same thing happened to these CCTVs that happened to the one in the jumper bay, and we might be able to track the malfunctions to the location of the sarcophagus."

Elizabeth hesitated, not really sure what to say. Part of her hoped never to see that sarcophagus again, if it was the reason those three marines died. Maybe now that it was gone, there was no more threat? But no, no one knew who or what killed them, or if the threat was still here. "Get on it and let me know as soon as you have something." Her stomach rumbled quietly and she sighed. _I need to get something to eat._ Turning, she nodded to Radek before leaving the room and heading down the hall to the transporter.

She hadn't even gone to breakfast this morning, because she knew _he'd_ be there. It wasn't like her to avoid him like this, but then again, it wasn't like her to feel so attracted to him, either. That's not to say she never _noticed_ him, but she never really dwelled on it, what with Simon, and regulations and everything. _But do the regulations even apply to me? I'm not military or scientist. I'm a civilian._ Forcing the thought out of her head, she got into the transporter and hit the destination on the board in front of her. _Not helping..._

**(Lunch Room, Elizabeth's POV)**

As I approached the door -which was forever open- to the lunch room, I saw Teyla and Ronon inside and frowned to myself momentarily. If they were there, chances were good John would be there, too. I honestly didn't know if I could handle seeing him, and I was almost afraid that I'd react much the same way as I had the day before.

_What was with the whole lovesick puppy bit? That's not like me at all._ Frowning, I stepped closer to the door, but I still couldn't bring myself to go in just yet. _If he's there, will I embarrass myself? Why am I letting this bother me??_ I managed to take another step forward. _Maybe he won't be there. I need to eat; I can't starve myself because I'm feeling uncertain._

I saw John run up to Ronon and Teyla and grin at them briefly before reaching past them to grab a sandwich and a fruit bowl and fork.

_Maybe I can get a marine to bring me my food?_ My insides did a funny flip flop at his smile. I watched as Teyla said something to him and both she and Ronon eyed him closely. _I'm already here, though._

In truth, part of me didn't _want_ to leave.

I still felt that funny sensation, and scolded myself for standing there stupidly in the door to the lunch room. Taking another step in, I took a deep breath and steeled myself before walking purposely forward. I kept my attention on breathing and making sure I didn't trip over anything -since my legs felt like rubber- so I wasn't paying too much attention to my surroundings.

"Hey, look who finally decided to show herself."

Jumping at the somewhat irritated sounding voice, I felt hurt for a moment before confusion set in and I looked up. Big mistake. As soon as my eyes locked on to the green ones of John Sheppard, I felt the huge breath I'd just taken whoosh out of me. It couldn't be possible, but he was even _more_ gorgeous today. His hair was slightly more rumpled, along with his uniform, and he'd decided to forego his over shirt, showing off his muscles in his plain black t-shirt. "John." I was almost embarrassed when my voice came out startlingly quiet. "Hello?" Again with the accidental question.

He raised an eyebrow, his look completely blank. "Morning." He gave the slightest... Was it a sneer? A grimace? His lip curled up in the corner, only for the briefest second, before he looked to his watch pointedly and looked back up, another blank look on his face. "Or should I say, afternoon?" It could have been my imagination, but I'd swear he sounded almost...hurt.

"I was..." Crap! If I told him where I was, he'd know where to look for me! Shaking my head a little, I turned to the trays and grabbed one, before reaching for a water bottle. _Elizabeth, if John's not worried, and there's no danger... Why would he come _looking_ for me?_ "I was in the control room, overseeing the search for the sarcophagus." Atlantis is a big city; I could always find other...things to do -I'd almost said places to hide, but refused to admit I'd been hiding- if I needed time to myself. Hearing a slight growl, I turned to find his eyes flashing with anger. "John...?"

I'd only ever seen him actually angry once or twice, and still it wasn't as...dangerous as this. Seeing him like this, however, even as my heart beat faster with fear, I also felt a strange excitement. He seemed suddenly so terrifying and dangerous, but I also felt a reassuring voice insist he wouldn't hurt me.

He stared at me before looking down at my hand. "You missed breakfast, is water the only thing you were planning on having?" He raised an eyebrow, his own hands full with a sandwich and fruit cup with a juice bottle under one arm. Had he never heard of using a tray?

I felt my face heat up and looked down to my tray. He was right. I'd grabbed a bottle of water, and just stood there with nothing else. Luckily it was a little after lunch, so there were barely any people left in the room. I looked around, to see if Teyla and Ronon had noticed my strange behaviour, or if I was holding up a line of people, and blinked blankly at the practically empty room. No one was behind us, and Teyla and Ronon had gone over to a table to eat.

"Elizabeth?"

Turning back to the food, I reached out and grabbed a turkey sandwich and a fruit cup, along with a fork. I was starving, but at the same time, it felt like my stomach was already full...of butterflies. Taking my tray, I walked deliberately over to Teyla and Ronon, feeling a little safer with them around. Not that I didn't feel safe around just John, but maybe they could distract me. "May I join you?" I watched as John didn't even ask, but pulled out a seat next to Ronon, leaving me the one next to Teyla.

"Please." Teyla nodded to me with a smile.

"You missed breakfast." Ronon stated in his gruff voice, his eyebrow raised. "Sheppard threw a fit."

"And a chair." John chuckled a little. "It wasn't because of her; I was having a bad morning." He sounded sincere, and his eyes had warmed up, even as he glanced at me. "I missed my run 'cause my alarm didn't go off, rolled off my bed and hit my head." He shrugged. "And that's only the tip of the iceberg."

"What iceberg?"

I broke away from John's amused and enchanting gaze to look at Teyla. It took my brain a split second to get off his gaze, and I offered the confused Athosian a small smile, hoping it came out more amused than shaky. I tried to explain, blatantly ignoring the snort john let out. "He just meant it as a saying."

She smiled and nodded.

Opening my turkey sandwich, I pursed my lips and glanced out of the corner of my eye to John. He wasn't looking at me thankfully. He'd picked up his...ham sandwich? I frowned a moment. _I thought he loved turkey._ Feeling my face heat up again, I turned back to my own sandwich and sighed quietly as I picked it up and took a bite. _And why shouldn't I know his favourite sandwich? I'm his friend, I'm allowed to know._ My thoughts spun in my head as I tried to make sense of everything that was going on.

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Hope you like it

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	3. Chapter 3

**Rinoax** - John's not being John right now, is he? Hmm... I like how she always has him on her mind, too.

**Jasminesmommy** - I don't know, it could be he stole one for later and felt like ham at the moment. Or for all anyone knew, they were going to have a turkey dinner... Hmm... It's possible. I did want to hint he was acting weird (though I think the throwing the chair bit did that quite well, already).

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**(Training Room)**

I walked into the training room after going to my room to change. My time in the lunch room with Teyla, Ronon and John was....interesting, to say the least. John kept his attention on his food, and when I risked glancing at him, I noticed he had a distracted look on his face. Whenever anyone brought up the sarcophagus, he would get upset, or suddenly be paying attention.

It was disconcerting. Ever since that day in my office, something was different about John. I thought maybe he was just acting. No, that wouldn't explain why I felt so drawn to him. Maybe I was just really starting to notice him? I mean, nothing seemed _different_ about him, physically. His hair wasn't longer, or styled differently. He was still paler than usual, but his skin was perfectly flawless in the light, other than where his permanent five o'clock shadow resided. His eyes were still green, though sometimes they seemed more brown or grey, depending on the day...

Shaking my head, I cleared my mind of all thoughts and moved to place my towel and water bottle down on a bench by the wall. Then I began stretching my arms over my head, feeling my sides pull with the effort.

"Elizabeth."

I was about to curse the fact that everywhere I went, people seemed to find me, but as I turned around, I relaxed when I noticed Teyla in her usual leather training outfit, placing her bag down by the door. "Teyla, hello. I didn't realize you wanted to train."

She smiled a little, though her smile seemed confused, and cocked her head to one side. "I always train Colonel Sheppard at this time of day." She gestured to the bantos sticks on a table across the room.

Frowning, I was about to question why she hadn't been in here yesterday, as I trained, and then I checked my watch. It was an hour earlier than I usually came in to train, and exactly the time Teyla had requested for herself and John, for bantos. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought it was later." I hesitated, not sure if I should leave. It was a public room, I could have stayed, as long as I worked a good distance from them, but I felt a little awkward about being here while they trained. It seemed like I was intruding.

"You are welcome to stay. If you like, I may be able to train you, as well." She gave another small smile as she walked over and picked up two sets of bantos sticks. "John has made it routine to be half an hour late to his training sessions."

I stared at the sticks and again hesitated. I could use this as the perfect reason to work out and get some stress off my shoulders, but I'd never trained bantos before. I knew how to work with staffs, a little, but not much. I didn't care for weapons of any kind, despite having the training to use them. "I..." I bit my lip and eyed the sticks. It was just for a few moments, and with sticks, not guns. _No_, I shook my head. "Thank you, but I think I'm just going to use the elliptical, for now." I could work on my martial arts later.

Teyla looked at me, her head still cocked to the side. "Are you alright?"

Blinking in surprise and confusion, I looked up at her. "Why?" Again I shook my head, and this time I smiled. "I'm alright, just..." I trailed off, looking for a reason for my strange reactions. "The bodies!" It snapped into my mind with sudden force, and I felt a little sick as the images of the pictures on the reports came to mind again. "I just need to work off a little stress." I felt bad that I was so smitten with John, that'd I'd been spending more time thinking about him than the three bodies. I was so confused.

"Dr. Zelenka has not found it, yet?"

Basically everyone knew what we were looking for, now. The only problem was, even though only certain cameras were affected, and left us a trail to an abandoned part of Atlantis, there were over two dozen rooms whose cameras all went out for the night. Radek _was_ able to determine that as sabotage, but it didn't help narrow down which camera was actually affected by the same energy as the one in the jumper bay.

"No, not yet. We've got two teams out, but it'll take about a week to fully search all the rooms." I sighed. "At least it's better than the months we were looking at before Radek found the cameras." Still, it felt like too long. "He's working on narrowing the search as we speak."

I heard the door to the training room slide open, and turned to find John waltzing in, dressed in silver-coloured shorts and a black t-shirt. _Huh, he's early._ Seeing me, he stopped cold in the door, and his eyes flashed with something I couldn't identify. Then, ever so slowly, he smiled. "Elizabeth." His voice was so smooth, and I swallowed heavily against the heat that flowed through my body at his tone. It was his usual relaxed drawl, the one I always liked, but this time it was deeper and more... I couldn't name it.

"Hello." I nodded, feeling extremely dumb at the moment. I just stood there, staring at him. Then, when he raised an inquiring eyebrow, I nodded again and turned to Teyla, knowing it was safer to look at her. "Right." I could feel my heart pounding. "Well, I'll let you get on with it." Turning, I walked to the far corner of the room and got up on to the elliptical. Staring at the screen in front of me, I tried to ignore the feeling of being watched, knowing it was John.

_That was incredibly rude_. I thought to myself, thinking on my behaviour. I started the machine and started pedalling, keeping my face on the screen. I hated watching it, as it made my workout seem that much longer, but I was afraid to look up and catch his eye.

"We should start." I heard Teyla call a little.

Knowing that would catch his attention, I let the tension drain from my body, and felt my eyes widen as they turned to where I held on to the handles of the machine. I had a death grip on it! Loosening my hold, I felt my fingers protest and swallowed heavily. I shook out my hands one at a time, and risked a careful glance up, watching as John stared at the bantos sticks a moment before twirling them a little uncertainly.

He didn't have his attention on me, and I allowed that moment to fully check him out. He was long, and he was lean. He was hairier than I'd expected, and I felt my face heat up as I certainly noticed that. I felt my eyes trace the hairs I could see running across his toned thighs, then blinked as he crouched down and there was a loud 'clack!'

"Good defence." I heard Teyla praise.

My eyes popped up and I watched as he simply raised an eyebrow and backed off, straightening as he went, and twirling the sticks with a little more enthusiasm. I was still pedalling, but I forced myself to focus on my own work out, and I sped up my pedalling, keeping my eyes back on the screen in front of me. _If I keep watching them, I might as well forget this workout._ I was ten minutes into it already, and I'd barely done anything at all. Actually, I was kind of surprised by how much time had passed. It felt like less.

My mind helpfully flashed an image of what I'd seen a moment ago, and I felt my whole body warm up. _That boy certainly is gorgeous._ I blinked and shook my head, focusing on the screen in front of me. _Not now, not ever, he's my subordinate! But... _Do_ the regs relate to me? I _am_ civilian, and the base is under _my_ command. _I was certain Jack O'Neill would back me up, but I wasn't about to bring this up to him.

I didn't even know why _I_ couldn't stop thinking about it. It all seemed so ridiculous. Nothing had changed. Why did it feel like everything had changed??

More 'clack's caught my attention and I just barely managed to resist the urge to look up. Note, I said _barely_.

I bit my lip and frowned. _Would it be so bad if something _did _form between us?_

"Keep your attention on me, John." Teyla's voice was stern, and at this I _did _look up.

John wasn't even looking at her. No, his attention was firmly fixed on me. He was gripping the bantos sticks loosely, down by his sides and his eyes seemed to scan my body a moment before meeting my eyes. He smirked at me. "Lookin' good." He called slightly before turning back.

Again my face began to heat up, and because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, I tripped over my own two feet. Grabbing the handles, I managed to catch myself, but I kept my eyes glued to the screen as I stopped and panted for breath. I heard John chooke out a snort of laughter and felt my grip tighten on the handles. I hadn't been going fast, so I shouldn't have been _out_ of breath. _Focus, Elizabeth._ Carefully stepping down, I kept my gaze on the floor as I carefully walked over to my towel and water bottle. First I picked up the water bottle, unscrewing the cap and taking a big drink before recapping it. Then I grabbed my towel and dabbed at the light sweat on my forehead. _This isn't working._

Again with the clacking. I knew they'd returned to training, and that's when I decided to make my exit. _I can come back later and finish my workout._

**(Breakfast, the Next Morning)**

I sat alone today. It was earlier than usual, but I hadn't been able to sleep. I don't even know why. I tried, fell asleep easy enough, but woke up some time during the night, and wasn't able to get back to sleep. I'd been awake ever since and now I was so tired.

I poked at the eggs unenthusiastically. They looked good enough, and I was hungry, but I was distracted I guess.

"Huh, what're you doing here?"

I jumped and cursed myself for getting lost in my thoughts. Looking up, I watched as Rodney sat his tray down and smiled a little, though his face was more confused.

"I thought I was practically the only one who got up this early." He amended with an apologetic look. "I've been running some tests on the CCTVs to see if I could locate the reason they went offline, and it looks like it was caused by some sort of power surge." He frowned as he shovelled a couple spoonfuls of eggs into his mouth, and chewed.

Raising an eyebrow, I thought about it. "There were no reports of any of our systems overloading or anything."

"Mhmm." He held up a hand and swallowed. "That's because it wasn't caused by one of our systems. It was an independent power source." He swallowed about half his mug of coffee in one go." And Major Lorne found the sarcophagus." He raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I think he was planning to tell you about that..." He checked his watch. "In an hour, or so."

Nodding a little, I picked up my fork again and dug at my eggs, deciding I better have something solid in my stomach. "Any idea what's going on, so far? Who or what killed those marines?" I knew their life had literally been drained out of them. That's what Carson found, but I only knew of the Wraith, who could do that.

Rodney finished his eggs quickly before moving on to the sausages. "No clue, sorry. As far as I know, the sarcophagus may or may not carry a body in it. There's no strange readings from the life signs detector, and Teyla still isn't sensing any Wraith."

Pursing my lips, I sighed and took a drink of my now cold coffee, unable to hide making a face. "Ugh, that's horrible." I swallowed heavily and focused again. "Well, that's good there's no Wraith, but... I don't like this. I don't like not knowing what's going on."

Rodney nodded and paused. "Huh, is it me, or have you noticed Sheppard acting weird, lately?"

For a moment, I was caught off guard by his question, but then I nodded and sighed. Yeah, I've noticed it." _I'm surprised you haven't noticed my noticing it._ I thought dryly. "He's probably just sleep deprived." For a moment I frowned. _That doesn't seem right. And besides, how do I even know he's not sleeping well now?_

Rodney nodded and returned to his food quietly. I wasn't sure what was going through his head, but I joined him. I wasn't as enthusiastic about it, but I made short work of my breakfast and sat back, relaxing. I had my ear piece in, so I figured I'd just stay here until Lorne called me. With any luck, it'd be before the rest of the team showed up. I knew Ronon was the next one to arrive, usually, with Teyla not too far behind them. John was always the last to arrive.

Just as I was thinking that, Ronon walked into the room with John at his side.

_Or...maybe not._ Was it me, or were we running into each other at every given opportunity? "Um, Rodney? Would you excuse me? I think I'm gonna go wait the Major's update in the control room."

"He's there; he can give it to you when you get there." Rodney shrugged. "But, sure."

"I'll stop by the lab later, to see how you're doing." I promised with a wave, grabbing my tray and heading to the back entrance to the lunch room, dumping my tray and heading out the door. Just as I walked through it, I could have sworn I heard John calling my name, but I didn't pause, pretending not to hear him. I wasn't trying to be rude, but I couldn't help it.

_He is so amazingly.... Just... _A thousands words ran through my mind, but not one of them seemed to fit, and I hurried to the control room with my face burning.

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Hope you like it

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	4. Chapter 4

**Sparklyshimmer2010** - I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

**Jasminesmommy** - Well, so far we know he's almost unbearably beautiful to her, and she's having a hard time resisting it. I'd say it's affecting her a lot.

**Rinoax** - No, he's not a mind reader. Some thoughts are just easy to pick up on by body language, facial features, etc. That's a good question, though. He could seem to read her mind. Everything seems to go back to John for her, doesn't it?

Thank you guys for sticking with me so far. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Happy Holidays. :)

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**(Lunch Room, Normal POV)**

Frowning, John entered the room along side Ronon. "I don't see why we had to go running so early." He complained with a sigh, rubbing his arm where Ronon had hit him. _He hits harder than I'd expected._ John's instinct contemplated having to deal with this one, if he became a problem. _No._ His mind rationalized with a sigh. _No more unnecessary killings. Enough have died._

In truth, more had died than should have. He wasn't pleased with this, but it was his nature. He couldn't fight it. Hell, a large part of him didn't _want_ to fight it.

"Early running helps get the blood circulating." Ronon stated gruffly, grabbing a tray and loading it with food. He looked thoroughly over the breakfast goods and grinned as he made sure he had at least one of everything before turning and making a b-line to the table.

Following his example, John took a moment to look over the foods before grabbing some eggs and toast. Truthfully, he wasn't hungry. He was still trying to get used to this body. As he turned around, grabbing a bottle of apple juice as he went, he caught sight of Rodney at the table and sighed, knowing that wasn't unusual. Then, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he felt his eyes narrow as he turned to find a bob of red hair walking through the door. "...Elizabeth??" He'd said it loud enough for her to hear, but she didn't reappear and he swallowed the hope that bubbled up.

Something about that woman... As he walked to the table, his mind flashed to the way she reacted around him. He was both pleased and alarmed to notice such a beautiful woman who seemed to be able to sense his presence. Not that, that was unusual. For his species, any who laid eyes on them became perfect targets. _I'm the perfect predator._ He thought with a dark mental chuckle as he sat down.

It was well known people saw his species as unusually beautiful, and couldn't fight the attraction they felt for them. It often led to their downfall. This woman was no different. No, scratch that, she was very different. He felt it the moment he laid eyes on her. There was already something there, between 'John Sheppard' and this 'Elizabeth Weir'. Neither of them seemed to notice it, though. He could see this as he toured John's mind.

"Sheppard."

Snapping out of his thoughts, he frowned and narrowed his eyes at the big guy, Ronon. "What?" He hadn't meant to snap, and had to remind himself to remain calm, but it wasn't easy with the constant interruptions. Elizabeth, or Teyla, or Rodney, or Ronon, or Zelenka, or even Lorne. If it wasn't one, it was another. That Dr. Carson Beckett hadn't left him alone yet, about coming to see him, and he was starting to get irritated. Taking a deep breath, he used it to control his nerves before looking up at the others.

It was funny how Elizabeth's questions sparked a different kind of reaction, than the anger he felt towards the others.

Rodney had raised an eyebrow. "I _said_ we've found the sarcophagus, and I'm beginning scans after breakfast." He yawned a little and sighed as he downed the last of his mug of coffee. "Elizabeth mentioned coming by, so I don't want you interrupting me. I wanna have the place to myself so I can actually get work done and have something ready to show her."

At the mention of the sarcophagus, John's eyes narrowed. _But how...? I hid it in one of the unexplored sections of the city._ What got him was that he knew 'John Sheppard' was one of the most important people on Atlantis, the C.O. of everyone but Elizabeth. Why hadn't someone come to let him know they were looking for the sarcophagus? Sure, he knew about the search, but he didn't know exactly how they were planning to find it.

"How'd you find it?" He asked out loud, after a few moments of Rodney staring at him expectantly.

For a moment, Rodney looked confused, and John knew that wasn't the answer he was expecting. _Well, that's just too bad, now, isn't it?_ He thought in anger as he raised an eyebrow and waited quietly for an answer. _I hid that damn thing for a reason, and they actually found it??_ He wasn't happy.

"Uh, you... You don't know?"

John let his face explain it for him, before adding, "No, I don't. Care to fill me in?" He could hear the biting edge to the words, but at this moment, he couldn't care less he was being overly harsh. Part of him knew he had to watch it, had to be careful, but right now he was too pissed.

"We used the cameras."

He felt his face pale. "Excuse me??" His voice had cracked, damn it! He swallowed heavily and took a long drink from his apple juice, again contemplating 'dealing' with these two. Ronon for being annoyingly interruptive, and Rodney for being too damn smart. _He's deathly allergic to citrus._ his mind helpfully suggested.

Something screamed at the back of his head to snap out of it, and leave him alone, even as an idea formed in his mind. He obligingly put the thought aside and focused.

"Well, the cameras were down..." Rodney's voice happily interrupted his thoughts, again, but this time he was happy for it, glad for the interruption of his potentially deadly thoughts. "But we were able to trace the route through that. Sure, several cameras went down, and there were dozens of rooms, but with my genius, and..." He grimaced. "A little help from Zelenka, we managed to figure out which ones had been sabotaged, and eliminated the other rooms that way."

_Damn! I thought I covered my tracks!_ "Do you....know who sabotaged the cameras?"

Rodney shrugged and looked helpless, before looking into his mug thoughtfully. "No, they managed to elude us this time. There was nothing left to trace." He pursed his lips. "Huh, they must've been a genius to do that."

There was a swell in pride, and it wasn't John. It was 'John'.

Yeah, he was still there, alive and well, and there he'd remain, until John transferred out of his body. Then, just like all the others, he'd die.

"So we got a deal? You stay out of my lab and let me work, and I'll... I'll work."

Blinking out of his thoughts, John looked down at his food and hesitated a moment before pushing his barely touched plate away. Getting up, he turned and walked out of the room, not even bothering to answer the question. Besides, he knew if he promised, he'd be lying.

As he walked down to the transporter, he hesitated at the door, torn between two destinations. The control room, where he was certain 'Elizabeth' would be, or to the infirmary, to get the doctor off his back. Stepping inside, he frowned and sighed, hitting the button to take him to the infirmary. As much as he wanted to go see Elizabeth, he could see he was making her uncomfortable, and if he clung around her all the time, he'd chase her off before his plan could come to pass.

In the darkest corners of his mind, 'John' was screaming, begging him to leave her alone.

**(Infirmary)**

"Well, it's about time." Carson frowned as he turned to find John in the doorway to the infirmary. Pausing a moment, he wasn't positive, but he could have sworn the Colonel looked…nervous. Filing that little tidbit of information away to put in his file later, he raised an eyebrow and walked over. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in, I don't bite." he grinned a little when John shot him a sour look.

_No, but I do._ John thought, recalling the three dead marines from the jumper bay. "You wanted to see me?" Raising an eyebrow back, he stepped in and looked around the sterile room, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Right about now, he was wishing he'd gone after Elizabeth. Hell, part of his mind screamed that's what 'John' would have done!

"Yes, I've been wanting to see you for a while." Carson was still frowning as he turned and walked over to an empty gurney. "Hop up here, I've got some tests to run. First things first," He grabbed a tray with a syringe and a few tubes, used for blood tests. "How have you been sleeping? Last I heard, you were having some problems."

John hesitated a moment before hopping up on the gurney and watching with dread as Carson set up the syringe and turned to him. _Humans go through this a lot?_ For a moment, he began to regret taking this body. Then again, when the jewel was touched, there really wasn't much of a choice. Glancing up, he noticed the doctor watching him with a raised eyebrow and frowned. _What? Oh. _"I've been sleeping better." He shrugged.

"Really? You're looking a little pale. Have you been feeling warmer than usual?" He put down the needle to walk over and check John's throat and place the back of his hand against his forehead. "No fever." Walking back over, he picked up the needle and walked over. "You might not wanna watch." He advised when he saw John's eyes fixed to the shining metal needle that was hovering over his arm.

_I've seen worse and been through worse._ Yet he still looked away, and winced as he felt the cold wetness of Carson cleaning the area, before a sharp prick.

"You didn't answer my question. Are you feeling alright?"

Looking over to him, John took a moment to nod. "Yeah, just a little out of it, I guess."

Carson raised an eyebrow as he filled one tube after another with blood. He filled three tubes and put a cotton ball against the area before carefully withdrawing the needle. "So why'd you wait so long to come and see me?" He put a band aid over the cotton ball and had John fold his arm up to keep pressure on it, before hailing a nurse to get the blood work started.

Frowning, John felt himself beginning to get irritated. "I've never been one to enjoy my infirmary stays." He stated lowly, trying to excuse the fact that he'd been a little distracted. "You know me."

Carson nodded a moment. "Is there anything else? Loss of appetite, nausea, or anything at all?"

Why'd it feel like he was fishing? "No, doc, I'm fine." It came out low and growled and John mentally cursed his temper as he jumped down off the gurney. "Look, I wanna…" He paused to look for a viable excuse. "Go check on the sarcophagus research that Rodney's working on."

It was Carson who hesitated this time, looking a little put off and a little worried. "Alright, lad, you seem to be doing ok, and it'll be a while before I get your blood test results back. Go ahead, just take it easy."

With an absent nod and half wave to him, John sauntered out of the room. He made a straight line to the transporter, and again paused. A large part of him was screaming to see Elizabeth again, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that 'John' never ran around after her, and he'd already given in to the urge too many times. If he kept it up, there was no way she couldn't get suspicious.

Instead, he decided to follow through his with excuse to Carson. He'd go see Rodney. If he was lucky, he could get him to go 'get some rest', and take care of the sarcophagus, himself. He knew there were a lot of piers out there, and if he was lucky, it would still be on the dolly, making it easier to move.

Stepping into the transporter, he hit the button to take him to the labs, and sighed. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and held it as he was transported, struggling to keep his temper under control.

It wasn't easy, he knew he was so close. It taunted him every minute of every day, but he couldn't afford to do it just yet. As he reopened his eyes and stepped out of the transporter, he pasted a smile on to his face and walked briskly down the hall, determined to be 'John'.

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Hope you like it. I thought I'd kind of do a John's POV for once.

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	5. Chapter 5

**Rinoax** - John is very strong. Period. So it's not surprising you'd find him still fighting. It's more of the creature controlling John just didn't want to get caught following Elizabeth, but it could have had a part to do with not wanting to hurt her. ;)

**Jasminesmommy** - Oh, I'm sure they will. LOL.

**Sparklyshimmer2010** - Well the whole thing (the original two-parter) was supposed to be from Elizabeth's POV, but I do like to switch it up once in a while. I'm not sure if I'll do it again in this story, but we'll see. :)

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**(Lab)**

As Elizabeth walked into the lab, she raised an eyebrow to see a large metal sarcophagus sitting on the table. The strange object wasn't carved or made of stone, like the Egyptian sarcophagus' she was used to thinking of, but was vaguely human-shaped, and seemed to be made of a white metal of some kind. It didn't seem to have any writing, but it did seem to have a large blue jewel, in the center of what she guessed to be the head.

In the room were Rodney and John, both of which seemed to be arguing.

"Look, you've been at this all night! I just think you should take a breather!" John was dressed in his usual black BDUs with his black t-shirt, and though he was glaring openly at Rodney, Elizabeth found herself unable to breathe at the utter beauty he radiated.

It was ridiculous, really. John had always been a handsome man, but now it seemed everything he did and said seemed to call to her. His green eyes were narrowed, but piercing and so vivid. His face was still pale and was set into a scowl, and yet she'd never seen anything sexier.

"Three people are _dead_, Colonel. I'm not gonna stop until I figure out why!" Rodney argued, looking between two computers. "There's nothing on the CCTV, but I _know_ this sarcophagus is the root of it all." He typed on a computer, and a hum started up. That was about when Elizabeth noticed the cables attached to the sarcophagus.

"And if you pass out? Or you're too tired to catch some little thing?" John was clearly pissed off, more so than he should have been.

"You don't give me enough credit." Rodney mumbled to himself. "It took us two days to find the damn thing, I'm not gonna take the chance that it'll go missing again if I leave it."

"Yeah, cause it's gonna get up and walk off." John scowled sarcastically at Rodney, his green eyes so dark they almost looked black. When he saw he was being ignored, his face seemed to scrunch up even more, and Elizabeth was almost worried for Rodney's safety. "Rodney…" John's unusually low growl cut off and his back went rigid a moment. Then he slowly turned to look at her. For a moment, his eyes were blank, showing no emotion, and that scared her. Then, they seemed to smirk at her, even as his face transformed into a friendly smile.

That scared Elizabeth even more.

"Elizabeth. What're you doing here?" His eyes seemed to devour her form, and she didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, she felt awkward, having come from a run and not having the chance to change. On the other, she didn't understand why he was staring at her so intently.

"Elizabeth, good. Listen, I'm running scans on the sarcophagus." Rodney didn't look up from the computer, so he obviously couldn't see the interaction going on between Elizabeth and John. "There was nothing on the CCTV, in fact, it looks like some sort of energy spike from the back of the jumper jammed it earlier on in the evening. I'm now working on the sarcophagus, I think it might somehow be related."

Nodding to him, Elizabeth found herself unable to look away from John's eyes as he took a step closer, his smile fixed firmly on his face, but looking more feral than friendly to her. "….Right." She forced herself to snap out of her thoughts. "Keep me posted." With a nod at John, she forced herself to look at Rodney and turn and leave when he waved dismissively at her.

Part of her knew she wasn't acting right. She should have asked a million questions and gotten informed, but John's stare both excited and scared her, and she couldn't think straight.

Instead of heading to her quarters to change, she made her way to the infirmary. Her thoughts were on John's strange actions, and her strange reactions. It wasn't like her to be so shy and uncertain around him. Then again, it was like he was a whole other person, and she didn't know what to make of it. It was all beginning to scare her a little.

As she turned into the infirmary, she caught Carson's eye and he hurried over.

**(Dinner, Lunch Room, Elizabeth's POV)**

_Nothing's wrong with me._ Did that mean something was wrong with John? Or maybe I was being paranoid. It just didn't make any sense. My mind kept running over everything, and none of it made sense.

"So, so far I have nothing." Rodney plopped his tray down. "How're the letters to the families going?"

Looking up at him, I sighed and shook my head. "They don't even have bodies to bury." Raising my hand, I rubbed at my forehead and frowned to myself. "All I can say is they were killed in an explosion. I…" Shaking my head, I looked back to my table and my barely touched tray of food.

"Huh, you should eat something. You'll probably think and feel better on a full stomach."

"My stomach's already full." I muttered back as I poked at the mashed potatoes. "I'm actually not hungry." My stomach let out a silent growl and I narrowed my eyes at my tray. _Quiet, you!_

"Huh, ok?" Rodney was practically wolfing down his food with a gusto. "Oh, before I forget, Sheppard's been acting kinda weird lately. I know I mentioned it before, but do you think you could talk to him, or maybe order him to stay out of my lab? He's really getting more annoying than usual."

"And how's that?"

"He's practically glowering at me all the time, or practically…" He paused with his plate practically clean. "You know, you saw a little of it, yesterday." Shuddering a little, he looked at me with a hint of fear in his eyes. "I've never seen him so irritable. He kept snapping at me, and it's kinda…" He shuddered again.

_Nothing's wrong with me, so something has to be wrong with John._ That seemed to be the only explanation. Why else would the others be reporting the same problems that I seemed to be noticing? But… Carson had seen John, this I knew, and he didn't mention anything unusual in any of his tests. "He's just worried about you." That's what John had said, anyways. That Rodney had been spending too much time in the lab and he was worried?

"Right, that's why he looks like he wants to kill me, at times."

Snorting a little, I shook my head. "Rodney, that's just ridiculous, ok? John's your friend, he'd never hurt you." But could I really be so sure? There had been times I'd managed to pick up on less than comforting looks on John's face.

"I'm serious. He never shuts up or lets me do any work." Making a face, Rodney rolled his eyes at his dinner a moment. "Look, I had to leave Zelenka with the sarcophagus, and I even requested a couple of armed guards-"

"Armed guards??" My eyes widened before narrowing at Rodney. I folded my arms over my chest. "That's out of line. You're only now telling me about this fear of yours, but you've already gone ahead and gotten 'armed guards'?" Why did it seem everything was slipping out of my control? I had no idea where to begin handling the news about the bodies, and I've dealt with bodies before.

"No, no, no. Lorne said the same thing, that I should go to you. The, um, guards, are more… Uh, voluntary watchdogs for the sarcophagus?" He ate a little more, quickly, before pursing his lips. "I just…don't feel safe leaving it unwatched, and having John have such easy access to it."

I nodded a little, unsurprised. Part of me felt the same, despite telling myself it was stupid. "Fine. Two 'watchdogs' for the sarcophagus. No personal guards."

With his own nod, and a thankful look, Rodney practically gobbled down his dinner before excusing himself and taking off, making a b-line back to the lab to continue his work. For a moment, I wondered if letting him go was smart. Seeing the way he was, even I noticed he was more compulsive about getting his work done as soon as possible, even if it meant not sleeping right. Maybe John was right?

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Hope you like it.

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	6. Chapter 6

**Sparklyshimmer2010** - Yes, I look over every chapter before I post it to see if I can edit it at all to my liking more. It does seem she seems too confused through a lot of it, but when things change so fast... Hmm... Not just Rodney. Poor everyone. I mean, John is being uncharacteristically mean to a lot of people, and paying entirely too much attention to Elizabeth with those burning green eyes. *sighs*

**Jasminesmommy** - Yes, he is. I was going for that he was being scarily different.

**Rinoax** - She's confused. She likes John, but she thought everything was just friendship. Now with his strange attitude, she's beginning to wonder if it's _just_ friendship that's between them, and the whole change is confusing her. Not to mention, she's trying to focus on her work and the bodies, and what could have killed them, but her mind keeps running back to John and his strange new personality.

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**(That Night)**

I couldn't sleep, again. It was odd, and I felt a quick stab of panic that it might be something serious. Of course, I squashed that thought, telling myself I was just too stressed about the three bodies I had yet to finish preparations with. Either way, I went to Carson, to see if maybe he could give me some advice, or prescribe something for me.

"Well, I'm not finding anything wrong." Carson frowned over the results of some quick tests he'd taken. "Sounds a lot like what happened with the Colonel. Any other symptoms?"

_John, again. _It was a little funny how things kept seeming to turn back to him. Shaking my head, I sighed and fidgeted on the gurney, uncomfortably. "No, I just can't sleep." Just then, my stomach decided to let out a growl, and I felt my face warm up. "Ok, that, and I've been having a hard time at meals." I shrugged. "The stress of the bodies, and mysterious sarcophagus." I didn't feel the need to mention my worries about John.

Nodding a little, Carson frowned. "Well, I _could _prescribe something, but I think you just need to tire yourself out." He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head a little as he regarded me. "How do you feel about a little late night physical training?"

I raised an eyebrow back and stared at him. "You want me to work out?"

"Last I heard, the Colonel was working out in the main training room at about this time. You won't be working out alone. Elizabeth?" His look turned concerned. "Is something wrong?"

My eyes must have shown my nervousness at the idea, or maybe it was the fact that I'd suddenly stopped breathing. Shaking my head, I forced out a laugh, trying to ignore how nervous it came out. "No, no. I'm fine." I let go of the bed I'd been torturing and forced the tense muscles in my body to relax. Even so, my mind kept going over how a late night run-in with John was probably the _last_ thing I needed. _Though it could be fun..._ Not the way I needed to be thinking. My face burned hotly. "I'm just…not sure a late night workout is a good idea."

"And why not?"

"I…" Ok, so that was lame. What was I so worried about? John's my subordinate, and my friend. _Maybe he's not there... Or...well, it's just a workout. It's not like anything unusual is going to happen._ I had to keep telling myself it was _John_ and not some random stranger. I trusted him with my life. "Alright. I guess it couldn't hurt." Hopping down, I sighed and nodded to Carson. "Guess it's a good thing I'd already in my sweats."

Carson studied my face for a moment before nodding. "Just give it a shot and see if it helps."

With a wave, I turned and walked briskly out of the infirmary, my mind running over the pros and cons of meeting up with John. I figured, either way I'd probably work myself into a coma. Stifling a yawn, I made my way to the console just outside the transporter, and was about to hit the button to set the destination when the door closed and reopened with a flash of light, revealing Teyla.

"Teyla." I startled, taking a step back as she glanced at me in surprise before stepping out of the transporter. "Hello."

"Elizabeth." Teyla was dressed in her training outfit and she frowned as she looked around. "Have you seen John?"

"I heard he's usually training at this time."

She nodded with a frown still fixed firmly on her face. "That is odd." My face must have showed how puzzled I felt because she smiled a little before the frown returned. "John did not show up for his lesson today. Normally he is no later than half an hour late, and if he has to miss, he will call me." She tapped her ear pointedly. "And warn me in advance."

"And he gave you no notice?"

She shook her head.

With my own frown, I nodded and folded my arms over my chest. "That doesn't sound like John." I agreed. _Then again, John _has_ been acting pretty...un-John-ly at times._ I bit my cheek to keep from giggling at the made up word.. "Why don't you go see if you can find him? I'm actually on my way to the training room myself."

"I was actually tired. I thought to find him later." She smiled now. "I am certain it is nothing." Her smile faltered as she tried to convince me of that, showing me she didn't believe it herself. "I will speak to him in the morning. Goodnight, Elizabeth."

I nodded with a slight frown. "Goodnight, Teyla." As she walked off, I got into the teleporter and hit my destination with only a second of hesitation, making my way to the training room. The way there was quiet and a little unnerving, but as I got to the door, I hesitated. The door was closed, and looking to the edges of it, I noticed no light shining through. This made me feel reassured that the room would be empty.

Swiping my hand over the control, the door opened and the light turned on. The room was empty, as I'd guessed and I sighed in relief as I walked inside. Making a b-line to the treadmill, I decided to just do something easy.

**(The Next Day, Lunch, Normal POV)**

Sitting alone at her table, Elizabeth stared at her untouched tray of food thoughtfully, trying to figure out what was going on. Her trip to the infirmary the day before had turned up nothing unusual in her system, and when she mentioned John, Carson seemed to grimace. He'd mentioned the Colonel stopping by that same day, and running tests, but finding nothing unusual.

Other than the nasty attitude he was getting.

Then Rodney stopped by at dinner, to complain that John was on his case all day about the sarcophagus. It was a lot more noticeable than usual, and Rodney found it unusual. Not to mention irritating. Before he'd left, he made sure to point out that John was acting very strange, and unlike himself.

Late last night, Teyla had stopped by with a frown, seemingly bothered by her sparring match with John. Or, rather, the lack of one. Apparently he hadn't shown up. She actually _had_ ended up looking for him and he was in the lab with the sarcophagus, alone, and seemed to be staring blankly into the blue jewel, until she called to him. Then he instantly transformed, and turned to snap at her.

_Three people, all reporting unusual, foul behaviour from John_. Elizabeth had also noted the change, but it wasn't as negative as she'd been hearing from the others. It _was_ very unnerving, however. _Ronon didn't have much to say. How unusual_. Elizabeth wanted to laugh at the sarcastic thought, but the situation had her too bothered.

Fact was, she hadn't had a report from Ronon at all, and he usually ran with John every day. At least, as far as she knew. Had John cancelled? Was he acting normal to Ronon? Maybe Ronon was in on whatever was going on? Elizabeth found herself starting to get a little irritated at John's strange, mysterious behavior. He was acting so differently that she began to wonder if maybe he wasn't really John.

She scoffed at the idea. Of course he was. Maybe....it was her who'd changed. Maybe she was looking at him in a new light, that just put a different spin on the way he acted. Elizabeth did admit she was finding it harder to deny that she was attracted to him. Maybe it was foolish to do so. She'd done a little discreet scouting, and though it wasn't really frowned upon for her to fraternize with her subbordinate, it wasn't really... Well, she was expected to keep in control, no matter what.

Elizabeth allowed herself a short hard laugh. _As if I'm in control. I haven't felt this out of control since coming here._ There was so much going on... It was hard to keep everything straight. _Why did I even think to 'research' last night, when I have more pressing matters to attend to?_ The funeral plans for the bodies were put on hold, just until the situation was handled. She couldn't focus enough to attend to them right now.

She'd also set up a heavier night watch, just to be safe.

"Elizabeth?"

Jumping out of her thoughts and looking up, she gave a small smile to Radek, who looked very nervous.

"Uh, Rodney has asked me to notify you that he is close to something. He does not know what, but he is close."

_Why hadn't Rodney just..._ She rolled her eyes to herself, knowing Rodney was Rodney. Nodding, she watched as he walked over to join some other scientists, and sighed.

"Hey, Elizabeth."

Turning her head to the other side, she watched as Ronon pulled over a chair and straddled it, facing her. He looked serious and she thought to herself, _Here it goes._ She'd been expecting this and was waiting to see what he had to say. "You seen Sheppard?"

Blinking for a moment, she shook her head. "No, not today. Yesterday he was with Rodney all day in the lab." Which, in itself, was very unusual. Well, the more she thought about it, the less unusual it was. John _did_ have a tendency to try and drive Rodney to his breaking point now and then.

Frowning for a moment, Ronon's eyes narrowed. "He's been acting weird." He stared at her a moment before raising an eyebrow at her expression. "You're not surprised." It wasn't a question.

"I've been hearing that for the last day or two. He's snappy around people, avoiding his training, or being very stubborn." _Ok, last one wasn't so un-John-ly._ Elizabeth smirked a little at the thought, even as Ronon unconsciously repeated her thought out loud.

"That last one's not so weird." Grunting, Ronon sighed. "He's been meeting me for runs, but doesn't talk like he usually does." He made a face. "It's very weird." He seemed to hesitate. "And he's not as fast, either. It's like he's…. Not all there. Today? He didn't even show up."

Elizabeth nodded as Ronon muttered 'It's weird' to himself, again, turned and got up, pushing the chair back to the other table before walking off, leaving the lunch room all together. Then she heard something hit her table and jumped, turning to find John sitting across from her and smirking.

_Oh, joy._ Her thoughts were sarcastic, but she immediately flushed when she realized she was caught in the center of that unnervingly piercing stare of his bright green eyes. Was it her, or did they seem brighter today?

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Hope you like it

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	7. Chapter 7

**Jasminesmommy** - Well it definitely wasn't good.

**Rinoax** - Well I couldn't have her running into him _all _the time. Well of course people are going to eventually notice that John's acting weird, and whatever's been going on has been going on for a few days now, so it's time is running short.

**Sparklyshimmer2010** - No, you're not alone. I've found myself wanting to scream at them, too. It's all part of the show. Oh they're figuring it out, trust me. LOL

Sorry about the late update, only a couple more chapters left of this story, I think. Remember I said it wasn't one of my best? I'm trying to edit as I go, but I think my biggest dislike is the ending, so I'll let you help me out with it as I go.

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_Where the _hell_ did he come from?!_

"Sorry, did I scare you?" His tone was smoother and more alluring than she was used to, and his expression clearly showed he wasn't sorry at all. "I just thought I'd join you today. I hope you don't mind." He raised an eyebrow at her tray and seemed to ignore the lack of answers she had for him. "Aren't you hungry?" He grabbed a half cold fry from her tray and popped it into his mouth with a grin.

Yet all Elizabeth could do was stare in awe. She _knew_ there was something wrong. It screamed from the back of her mind, and she still couldn't help but give a small, shy smile at John. "I'm just…thinking." Her face was red and she knew it. She also knew he was fully aware of the effect he was having on her, and he seemed to be enjoying it. Her irritation perked a little at his cocky expression.

"You need to eat." He pushed her tray over, a tiny look of worry crossing his face. "To keep your strength up."

Looking down at her tray, she reluctantly reached for one of the chicken fingers and bit into it unenthusiastically. After chewing for longer than was necessary, she swallowed and took a large gulp of her tea. _Why would I need to keep my strength up?_ She absently wondered if she was in danger, but the idea seemed utterly absurd. "I'm actually not that hungry." It was nice to see the characteristic worry in his eyes, though, and it helped to sooth her in ways his unusual new charm didn't.

"What's wrong?" He frowned now, and Elizabeth automatically scolded herself for making him worry.

Wanting to see him smile again, she leaned forward and offered him her own smile. "Nothing, really. I've just been preoccupied since the murders." Part of her mind screamed she shouldn't be smiling, or allowing him to distract her, but she couldn't help it. The smile did fade though and she shrugged. "That, and I had a big breakfast." Seeing the corners of his mouth turn up, she mentally congratulated herself and her smile came back, grew larger and more heartfelt.

Shaking his head, John chuckled before digging into his burger. He took a huge bite and hardly seemed to chew at all before he was swallowing and stuffing a couple of fries into his mouth. This continued for a few moments and before long, he had half of his burger and most of his fries gone.

"And you look like you haven't eaten in a week." She added, her eyes going wide. Still, even though he was being….less than polite about his eating habits, she couldn't help but focus on the way his lips pursed, or his eyes crinkled in amusement. Forcing herself to look at her tray, she picked up a fry and ate it slowly. "John, slow down." He was still eating as if he was in a hurry. She worried he was going to choke.

He looked at his over half eaten burger and frowned for a moment before he slowed his chewing and seemed to force himself to chew longer. When he swallowed, he grabbed his drink and took a long gulp, taking a deep breath and putting his burger down to relax. "Sorry, I…. I'm just…really hungry." He had the sense to look sheepish, and Elizabeth adored the look on his face.

"I couldn't tell." She shot back sarcastically, rolling her eyes, and catching her breath when her eyes landed on his. _Green. They're so…green._ She always knew that, but every time she saw him it always startled her. They had to be brighter today, but it wasn't really possible for human eyes to change color...right? _Well, it's true they can change shades with emotions... Maybe he's just feeling...happier? But...about what?_

He stared back just as intently, his eyes darting all over her face, as if trying to memorize it.

She noticed, vaguely it had gotten so quiet in the room, and she reluctantly broke his gaze to find pretty much everyone had left. She frowned at this and checked her watch, finding it was a lot later than she'd thought. "Wow, the time flew." She couldn't believe she'd lost track of the time, but some how John had _always_ had this effect on her, even before his strange transformation. That, in itself, wasn't odd at all.

John seemed to snap out of some sort of daze and raised an eyebrow. "You know the saying 'Time flies when you're having fun'."

"You're saying you're having fun?" She felt a mixture of emotions and didn't know which she was. Startled he felt that way, pleased, or confused, since all they've done is stare at each other since he sat down. How could he have fun just _staring _at her? Though...she was having a grand old time memorizing his face.

Raising his other eyebrow, he waggled them and gave her an amused look. "You're not?"

"No!" Blushing at the force behind that, she smiled shyly in response to his grin. "I mean, I didn't say that."

"You _are_ having fun, then." He was teasing now. He almost looked like the old John and _that_ was charming.

Staring at him, she quickly looked down at her barely touched plate and nodded. "Yes, I am." Her voice was very quiet but also very sincere. _At that moment_ she _was_ having fun.

"Good! Then you'll come with me." He grinned like an excited little boy and picked up his burger to resume practically swallowing it whole. He finished it much quicker than he should have and chugged his soda, seemingly oblivious to her confused stare. "There's this place." He took a deep breath and sighed as he relaxed against the back of his chair. "It's secluded, but it's really nice. I thought you might like to see it. It has a spectacular view of the ocean."

Raising an eyebrow, Elizabeth picked up her half eaten chicken finger and took a bigger bite, chewing purposely as she thought. _Alone with a strange acting John. I don't know if that's such a good idea._ She frowned to herself as she grabbed a now cold fry and popped it into her mouth, trying to ignore the taste in order to get a few spare seconds to think. _Can I come up with an excuse to say 'no'?_

What was she thinking?? This _was_ John...wasn't it? She risked looking up, and instantly regretted it. John was staring at her so intently, the smile having faded from his face as he gazed into her eyes. _Crap! Took too long to think._ She scolded herself, feeling her heart flutter at the look on his face. The look was blank, but ever so slowly, it transformed into a look of hurt.

"Or…if you don't want to…." He looked down at his plate and pushed the last fry around, seemingly suddenly not hungry. Though, with the way he'd eaten before, she didn't know if it was from being stuffed, or her lack of an answer.

Elizabeth hesitated only a second, but found herself staring at his spiky black hair. Even if she couldn't see his eyes, she still found herself fascinated by him and sighed quietly. "Is it far? I still have to see to Rodney's report." She had to fold her hands in her lap to resist the urge to wrap them in his hair and see if it was as soft as it looked.

John's head shot up and he looked angry for a moment. "Rodney…" He growled to himself and took a deep breath.

To say she was startled was an understatement. Elizabeth found herself leaning back in her seat and wondering if she could get away, if he decided to attack her. The thought was absurd, John attacking her, but it didn't help to soothe her as his face softened.

"Sorry." This time he sounded sincere. "It's just… I told Rodney to rest, and he obviously didn't." For a moment, he sounded like the old John. The one Elizabeth knew and trusted. "Rodney's always pushing himself. I _ordered _ him to rest and he still didn't listen." John sighed loudly and covered his face.

"Maybe you should go make him, then." Elizabeth suggested, seeing an opening and jumping on it. Part of her screamed it was a bad idea to encourage him, she wasn't so sure anymore what he was capable of. Would she be putting Rodney at risk, just for a chance to think alone?

If it bothered him enough, John would go talk to Rodney himself, and drag him out of the lab by force, if need be. But to her surprise, John grinned again, suddenly, and raised an eyebrow. He was back into the 'new' John persona.

_Jeez! That boy changes moods faster than a pregnant woman!_

"So you don't want to go with me, then?" There was barely concealed disappointment in his eyes, but Elizabeth wasn't sure if it was sincere or mocking.

"I didn't say that!" She protested, before she could stop herself. She mentally scolded herself, knowing she was getting into a dangerous situation, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to help it when it came to John. "I just said… We can't take too long."

"Oh it's not far, really." His eyes seemed to darken with something indescribable, and Elizabeth swallowed nervously. It was hard to decide whether or not she was anxious or scared. "It's a nice little place."

"You realize this is Atlantis. You can't go _anywhere_ without having an excellent view of the ocean." She pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

He laughed a moment and nodded.

Elizabeth found herself more intrigued by his laugh than she'd ever been. She stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

"There's more to it than that." He insisted, that innocent excitement bubbling up again. "You'll see." He stood up and grabbed both their trays, hesitating and frowning at hers before taking them both to the trash, dumping them, and walking back. "Come on. Let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back." There was something in his tone that made Elizabeth wonder if he didn't mean something different, but he held out his hand, and she found herself grasping it.

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Hope you like it

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	8. Chapter 8

**Jasminesmommy** - You're right to have a bad feeling, and you're about to find out why.

**Shadows-of-Realm** - Thank you. Well, I'm actually almost done with this one. It was originally meant as a two-shot, so I did some major rewrites to stretch it out to 9 chapters. I'm very happy you like it, though :)

**Rinoax** - LOL, Yes, that could be taken more than one way. But no, I don't think she's going to have fun with what he's got planned. Well, you're about to find out what's happening.

**Note** : I might have missed a reviewer or two and I apologize if I did. My computer's been in bad shape, so I've been having problems with my email and accounts. On a kind of good note, because of my late update, I'm planning to upload the final two chapters tonight. That means this update is the LAST update. I do hope you'll enjoy it, though.

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**(Lab)**

"Ok, there." Rodney typed on the computer and looked at the readout. With a frown, he typed the same sequence of keys and hit return again, seeing if he got a new readout. When he didn't, his eyes narrowed. "Huh, well that's strange."

"What's strange?" Ronon asked, sauntering into the room with Teyla at his side.

Jumping in surprise, Rodney turned to glare at them before sighing. He probably would have made one of his usual snarky comments, but he was too tired to, at the moment. He _did_ make a mental note to make one later, however. "The energy readings I'm getting are very weird. I tried to recalibrate my equipment, and different scans, but I keep getting one thing in common, no matter what test I run." He looked at the screen in confusion before turning to the others. "Goa'uld."

Teyla and Ronon frowned in confusion and exchanged glanced before staring expectantly at Rodney.

Realizing why they were confused, Rodney groaned and shook his head, typing more on his computer as he began to speak. "Goa'uld are one of the earth's biggest nemesis', and they were basically symbiotic creatures that lived in a human host's head or stomach, depending on the type of Goa'uld." He looked at the screen and typed some more with a frown. "They had a type of machine we called the sarcophagus, because it was basically shaped like earth Egyptian sarcophagus', and it was able to bring them back from…" He trailed off. "Look, you know what, it's a long story."

Looking up, his eyes were a little wild. "But this…this… This thing is somehow related to them. It's not the same…" He turned back to his screen. "But the energy readouts suggest that there was a spiritual being locked inside it until someone touched…" He pointed to the blue jewel. "That. It's some sort of locking mechanism, but all it needs is a touch to activate it. Not just... Not just_ any_ touch, though. The person had to have the gene." He mentally recalled that at least two of the officers who'd been killed had the gene, not to mention Sheppard.

"And how do you know this?" Teyla looked worried and confused.

He shrugged. "It's what I do. The jewel doubled as a type of library, and when I realized it was emitting a low level frequency that we can't hear with our ears alone," He pointed to his computer again and typed some more. "All I had to do was find the harmonizing frequency to get into the library." He looked up and leaned on the desk. "It looks like the murders were caused by someone releasing the spirit by touching that gem."

"I do not understand." Teyla looked even more confused.

Ronon nodded. "Me either."

"Well of course not, I haven't explained it all yet, and we can't all be geniuses." Rodney looked to the sarcophagus. "Basically, the spirit can only hold the body for a few days before it either dies in the body, or needs to jump to another body. There were three dead bodies, I don't know why there were so many, unless it was in order to protect the fact that it was out of the box."

"You're basically saying there's one of those spirit Goa'uld things in someone's body." Ronon kicked in.

Rodney hesitated before nodding reluctantly. "Well, yes. All it needs is prolonged physical contact, and I'm not talking very long."

"How do we know _who_ is it in?" Teyla asked.

"Anyone been acting weird lately?" Rodney shot off sarcastically before his eyes widened. "Oh. My. God!"

Teyla and Ronon exchanged another look, this time communicating they both knew what Rodney was thinking and agreed with it. As one, they stepped towards the sarcophagus and Ronon grabbed for his blaster.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Rodney held up his hands. He stepped in front of Ronon, then realized he was in the range of the blaster and quickly stepped back, but he kept his hands up. "Look, if we can get that thing back out via this jewel, it'll save him. I haven't read far enough to understand all of how it works, but…" He shrugged. "I think he just needs to touch it."

"If it's already jumped?"

Rodney looked up at them. "John's dead."

Teyla tapped her ear piece and frowned. "Major Lorne, please gather a search team and join us in the main lab at once."

**(Hidden Pier)**

"John? I don't see what's so special about this place." Standing at the hidden pier, Elizabeth frowned and looked around. "And I was wrong, apparently there _is_ a place in Atlantis that doesn't have an excellent view of the ocean."

"To me it's amazing. But then, to me, the sight of food was amazing; to be able to _walk_ is amazing." He shrugged a little, standing in the center of the path that led back to the hall they took to get there. Burping a little, he winced and rubbed his chest. "Excuse me." He gave a hint of a sheepish grin, his green eyes smouldering.

"What's so amazing about Atlantis' food?" Turning to him, Elizabeth raised an eyebrow in confusion.

He grinned wryly. "Well, considering it's _food_ and I haven't actually eaten in thousands of years." His grin grew as her eyes widened. "Ahh, at last you're figuring it out." He stalked forward a couple of steps, baring his teeth in a smile. However, it looked more like he was baring his teeth in some sort of feral sign. "Took you long enough." He was ready to transfer.

"You're not John." Well that actually explained a lot. Elizabeth stared at him, feeling both terrified and excited. Even though she knew he wasn't the John she knew, his beauty had yet to release her. Part of her mind screamed she should have realized sooner, that _this_ was what was wrong with John, and why he was so different. Her worries before had been justified, but now she might be too late to do anything about it. She mentally cursed herself.

"I'm the perfect predator. Everything about me draws you in, even though you know I'm dangerous." Now his grin was almost pained. "Funny thing is, if I could find a body that didn't waste away or become immune to me over time, I wouldn't _have_ to _be_ a predator. This is why they locked me up. My own people. They couldn't take how many of our slaves I was going through so quickly. I was-_am_ something of what you'd probably call a…. soul vampire. Or, maybe a soul reaper."

Taking a step back, Elizabeth bumped into something and turned to find herself already at the edge of the pier. Beyond it was a drop of at least a thousand feet, one she'd never survive.

"The one guard happened to touch the jewel, and I'd never been so happy to be freed. Then another one appeared, curious about the light from the casket." He frowned. "He knew something happened, I couldn't let him say anything." He winced. "Then the girl. I was wandering around when I came across her, and she must have known him well. She knew almost right away something wasn't right."

He stepped forward. "Then... _John_. He appeared. He was the one I sensed since being found by your people. His strong gene would strengthen me incredibly. I'd only need one more jump and then I'd never have to jump again." He grinned. "It's the last time."

"You're going to…'jump' into me?" Elizabeth took a step to the side and froze when he followed her without hesitation, knowing he was fully aware of her plan. "That's why you really asked me out here." Her heart hammered loudly in her chest, and she was certain he had to be able to hear it. Knowing what was going on, her mind was flashing back over the last few days and she kept thinking to herself that there had to be numerous times this thing had given itself away, and she'd never noticed.

The most painful thing about it all, however, was that John wasn't going to get out of this. She'd never be able to tell him about her newfound feelings for him. He wouldn't have the chance to move on. Somehow, she _knew_ they were both as good as dead. The only thing Elizabeth could do was pray that someone knew something was wrong, and would intervene in time.

His eyes glittered beautifully at her, though his expression scared her. "You were the most affected. The easiest to get to. I saw it right away."

Even despite the situation, Elizabeth was unable to fight off the flush, realizing _why_ she'd been so affected by John, and it wasn't the alien inhabiting his body. "You're going to kill us both."

He frowned suddenly and seemed thoughtful. "John, yes. You'll get to live." He grinned again and stepped forward. "As me."

Elizabeth shook her head, fighting as hard as she could to ignore his allure. "Why kill us at all?"

He shrugged. "To survive."

Noticing a vague movement, Elizabeth glanced past John to see the path to Atlantis was empty. She blamed her imagination and focused on John, who was now walking towards her slowly. "Stop!" She was almost surprised when he did so. "Isn't there any other way?"

He paused and hesitated a moment. "He's too strong and growing stronger. The transference will kill him, though. I can't stay, and he'll die when I leave." He began walking again. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?" He walked right up to her and smiled down into her face.

Elizabeth froze. She wanted to run, and every part of her was screaming to do so, yet she couldn't move her body. He was within inches of her and his eyes burned intensely into hers, making it difficult for her to breathe. Her eyes tore away from his eyes in order to gaze to his lips as he licked them. Her face warmed as his eyes seemed to devour her face and he stepped even closer.

Leaning forward a little, his smile faded, but the intensity of his gaze, and the intimacy of the moment only seemed to grow. "Hold me…" He whispered longingly. It was a strange phrase, coming from him, but it served it's intended purpose.

Enchanted by his eyes, his soft breathy voice, and the warmth radiating off him, Elizabeth reached up do to just that. Before she could touch him, however, there was a red blast and he grunted, his eyes rolling back in his head before closing as he slumped forward.

"John!" Elizabeth couldn't stop herself. She knew it wasn't him yet she reached out and caught him as he collapsed, cradling him against her chest as she sank to her knees. Looking up in shock, she made out Ronon half hiding behind a pillar, and a military marine team with Rodney and Teyla rushing down the hall towards them. Snapping out of her shock, her eyes narrowed. "That better have been on stun!"

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Ok, so this was NOT what I was expecting but I'm hoping it turned out alright in the end. I'm a little iffy about posting it, because I'm not sure if I did alright. There's only one more chapter after this one.

Hope you like it.

Written November 19, 2008

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


	9. Chapter 9

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**(Infirmary, Two days later, John's POV)**

So here I am, once _again_ in the infirmary. This time I'm not so much hurt as weak and cold. I guess it had something to do with the spirit inside me. Yeah, they'd explained everything to me. I was still a little bit lost, but apparently I'd been a bigger pain in the ass then I usually was. Which, according to Rodney, was saying something. They filled me in on everything I'd missed, including my strange behaviors with each of them.

'They' being Ronon, Teyla, Rodney and Carson. It was still a lot to take in, really.

I hadn't seen Elizabeth since it all happened, and was worried, despite the others trying to reassure me she was fine. I rolled my eyes and waited as Carson finished up his exam before hopping off the table. I'd been released and was about to head to the lunch room.

"Just make sure to get plenty of rest, and no training at all." Carson warned me with a concerned look.

I nodded and walked off briskly. As I walked, I thought over everything I'd heard.

The only way the spirit could control me was if I was awake. Somehow, it was able to 'call' to me because of my gene; I don't know how it called to Elizabeth. It only had five days before the body either expired or grew immune to it's presence, casting it out and killing both the spirit and the body. When they'd blasted me, the electrical energy of Ronon's blaster had eliminated all traces of the spirit.

They were going to have me touch the crystal, apparently, only when I woke up and was me again, and Rodney's enhanced bio scans didn't pick up anything unusual, they agreed it was gone.

Rodney later came back and confirmed that the electrical discharge from Ronon's blaster had been too much for the spirit, killing it.

Looking up from my thoughts, I found myself standing outside Elizabeth's room. I knew it was lunch time, but I'd heard all about how we were merely seconds from both more or less dying when Ronon got me. If that bothered her half as much as it bothered me…. I swiped my hand over the crystal.

"Come in."

I opened the door and Elizabeth looked up from her bed, where she was reading. Her eyes went wide a moment before turning wary. "…John…?"

I nodded and raised a hand to wave, even though she wasn't looking at me anymore. She'd turned to her book a moment, her face burning a beautiful pink. "Carson released me, you can check with him if you want to."

Looking up once again, she seemed to stare at me for a long moment, and I couldn't help but feel a little awkward. I don't know what she was seeing, but it seemed to satisfy her fears because she nodded and waved me in. She offered a small, tentative smile.

Walking in a little, I swiped my hand over the control and watched as the door closed before turning back to her and leaning against the wall next to it. "How're you doing?"

She raised an eyebrow and closed the book. I saw it was 'Twilight', though I wasn't familiar with it. She must've seen my look. Holding it up, she raised an eyebrow. "It's hitting a little too close for comfort." She stated dryly. "It's about a young woman who moves to a new city and meets a strange young man. Everything about him is inhumanly beautiful, and she can't help but be attracted, even when she knows she should be afraid. Turns out he's a vampire. They end up falling in love." She winced and marked her spot before putting the book aside.

"That's what happened?" I was referring to the whole strange attraction and all that. I noticed my voice was very soft. A lot of it had been like a dream, and it was fading from my memory even as we spoke. I had no idea what I said or did, but according to the others I'd been quite the jerk. I seemed to recall Elizabeth blushing a lot, and acting…strange.

She nodded a little, a blush staining her cheeks. Patting the bed at her side, she waited for me to join her before looking over. "What about you? What's the last thing you remember before…?"

"I couldn't sleep…again." I rolled my eyes. "I went for a walk, and I don't know why, but when I passed the jumper bay, I ended up going inside. I think I went to see if they'd moved the sarcophagus." Frowning for a moment, I struggled to remember. It all seemed so long ago. "There was a girl… One of the night watch marines…" I couldn't help but hesitate, feeling my own face warm up. "She was so…"

"Beautiful?" Elizabeth looked torn between being hurt and amused, seeing as how it's the same thing she went through.

I nodded. "I couldn't help but be attracted to her." Wincing a little, I sighed. "I didn't even know her name." Not that, that's stopped me before. Why did the idea bother me now? Why did talking about it bother me? Maybe... Maybe because I'd come to appreciate Elizabeth in a sense I'd never imagined, and maybe because I didn't actually feel any romantic feelings for the night watch girl?

"Marie Brown. One of the marines was her brother, Mark, and the other was Corporal James D'Amico." Elizabeth winced and turned to three small data pads. "I've compiled letters to their families, but their bodies are going to be cremated."

"Better than sending back mummies." I muttered with a wince, knowing it would be a low blow to the families.

Elizabeth nodded, her face pained. "Are you alright?"

Shaking my head, I leaned it against her shoulder. "No, you?"

She sighed and remained quiet.

Frowning after a moment, I pulled away and looked up. Her face was screwed up in clear thought; her red hair falling softly against her throat and her blue eyes clouded over with countless emotions I couldn't name. "Elizabeth?" I watched as she jumped a little and looked at me, blinking in surprise. "Are you ok?" I repeated quietly, unable to tear my eyes away from hers. I'd always known how beautiful her eyes were, but at this close range, I could make out tiny golden flecks in the blue. I could see how flawless her face was, and the depths of the emotions she was feeling etched into every inch of it.

Her eyes remained surprised and seemed to dart all over my face. Maybe it was how close our faces were. I could feel her warm breath ghosting across my cheek, smelling like peaches. Her blue eyes were wide, and finally, they locked on mine. Her lips puckered a little, as if she wanted to say something, and I watched her tongue dart out to lick at her bottom lip.

Swallowing heavily, I leaned forward a little, not entirely sure what was going on. I'd never been so bold, but I really wanted this. Her eyes seemed to close a little and she, too, leaned towards me, her hand coming up from the bed to rest on my cheek as her warm lips locked on mine. Everything kind of faded out. All that seemed to matter or register were the warm lips moving across my own, and the even warmer hands that wrapped around my neck.

I didn't even hesitate, but began kissing her back, wrapping my own arms around her waist. Yes, I definitely wanted this. Hell, I think I've wanted this for a long time. It felt so right. I allowed the kiss to deepen, letting her keep control and relaxing. I lost track of how much time past, but I pulled away after a few moments, breathing heavy and with my eyes locked on her lips. Reluctantly, I tore my eyes from her lips and raised them to her face, noting her worried expression. "…Elizabeth?"

"You _are_ John…?"

The question was obvious in her voice, and I remembered the others explaining how the spirit reaper, as they'd chosen to call it, tended to travel. "If I wasn't, I think you'd know by now." I stated, feeling my own face warm up as my voice came out a little more breathy than I'd have liked. She didn't look reassured, and I leaned forward, closing my eyes and kissing her lightly. As I pulled away, I stared into her eyes firmly. "I'm John."

She stared into my eyes and nodded a little, finally looking reassured. Her eyes twinkled a little, suddenly, and a smirk played at the corner of her lips. "I don't know. I might need a little more reassuring." Her cheeks turned a deep red, and she ducked her head a little.

Grinning, I leaned forward and pressed my forehead against hers lightly. "Hmm… I think I can do that." I chuckled quietly, pulling her close and hugging her tightly. _I could definitely get used to this._

**(Elizabeth's POV)**

Things had been so confusing. This whole situation made me think of everything I'd ever thought I'd known about John. First of all, I was so sure I loved Simon, but ever since meeting John, things had been different. I felt strongly attracted to him, but was so sure it was just lust, or maybe a crush at best. Maybe...it was just loneliness. Then, things began to change. I didn't look at Simon in the same light. I didn't look at _John_ in the same light.

John was brave, loyal, funny, a real smart ass, smart, kind, resourceful... I could go on forever.

Hell, I found out I'd been spending a lot of time comparing aspects of Simon to aspects of John, whether it was physical or mental.

Either way, slowly, John had been pulling out ahead, bit by bit. I'd had feelings for him all along, I just never wanted to admit it to myself. I had no idea if the regulations would allow this, but at this very moment, it wasn't a priority on my list. If I had to look on the bright side of everything that had happened, this spirit reaper made me realize how much I cared for _John_.

As John walked into my room, I noticed that even without the spirit in his body, he was still incredibly beautiful to me. His face was finally back to normal color, and his eyes not so bright, but still beautiful. No, _more_ beautiful, because they were _his_ eyes. His smile was warm and friendly, the one I'd gotten used to. This was my John again. It was comforting.

When we kissed, I was certain he'd pull away. I never really thought he had feelings for me like that. When he kissed me back, my heart soared. Things are so different now, and I know we're not out of the woods yet. Still, for the moment, I was content to lay in John's arms, relaxing at his side. Later, I could give Sam a call and see what she knew about the regulations.

One thing was for certain... _I could definitely get used to this!_

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hope you like it.

Written November 19, 2008

R+R please

Thank you

Tenshi


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